Work together with your tween to make proper sleep a priority. Schedule regular bed and wake up times. Try to implement this on the weekends. Sleeping until mid-afternoon a Saturday or especially on Sunday will interfere with your tween or teen’s internal rhythms making it next to impossible for them to fall asleep at a regular time during the week.
Set the scene for a good sleep: dim the lights in your child’s room, pull the curtains and turn off the computer screen when it’s bedtime. Make sure the room is quiet and cool, yet warm enough. In the morning, bright lights and sunshine will let them know that it’s time to wake up.
If your tired teen wants a nap in the afternoon, limit this to 30 minutes. A longer nap especially late in the day will be an obstruction to them falling asleep at bedtime. Try to avoid late-night homework or all-night studying and don’t let them exercise too close to bedtime.
Tweens and teens should also avoid chocolate and caffeinated beverages after four or five pm.
